Hero Hunter is on Parental Leave C53

Chapter 53

“Haah. What did you tell the kids?”

“I told them they worked hard, so they’re getting a reward vacation. On the condition that I choose the lodging.”

At that moment, the child—who had been sulking after the confrontation with Won Iheun—showed curiosity at the appearance of new faces.

“Ca, ca!”

The child pointed at the car printed on Hamgyeol’s boxy T-shirt. Recognizing something familiar, he grew excited, wiggling his bottom as he kept shouting, “Ca!”

“Not ca, it’s car. Son, shall we try again? Car!”

“Ca!”

“Car!”

“Caa…!”

As a second round was about to begin, Yeongung shook his head and scooped Jaehee up. The child puffed out his cheeks like a hamster hoarding food, clearly expressing his dissatisfaction.

“Son?”

“Wait—wait a second. Who exactly is this adorable life-form, and why is Iheun-hyung calling this cutie his son? And why is the baby glued to Yeongung-hyung like that?”

At the idiot duo’s demanding stares, Yeongung and Won Iheun answered at the same time.

“Our son.”

Sanghui’s mouth, frozen like a paused video, fell wide open in shock.

“Whaaaat—?!”

“So… you two…?”

“You mean you two did the deed together?!”

That damn did the deed. Even after coming all the way to Muhaedo, Sanghui still managed to dig up that phrase. Yeongung felt a migraine coming on. With his head throbbing, he chose the safest option—putting distance between himself and the cause of his headache. As Yeongung disappeared into the living room, Iheun narrowed his brows.

“I’ve been too lenient. Watch your mouth.”

Under the guild master’s ice-cold gaze, Hamgyeol swallowed hard. Then he drove his elbow straight into Sanghui’s solar plexus.

“Ugh! Are you trying to kill someone on vacation? You brute! Who elbows someone there?!”

I aimed for it on purpose, you idiot. Hamgyeol seriously considered knocking his tactless colleague unconscious.

“Ahhh! That hurts!”

This time, Sanghui collapsed clutching his forehead. A keycard had been thrown at him—by Won Iheun. Because it had been infused with mana, there was a pshh sound, like air leaking, from Sanghui’s forehead. Checking the dent in his own head, Sanghui started yelling.

“Damn it, hyung! Couldn’t you just talk it out? You’re someone who could kill a monster with a keycard—have some restraint!”

From the entrance, Yeongung thought that even if that guy fell into water, only his mouth would keep floating.

“The room key. Your lodging is next door, apartment 302—not here. Rest properly until you receive instructions.”

“Instructions? Weren’t we on vacation?”

Hamgyeol, who had also been looking forward to the vacation, didn’t argue, but his expression fell.

“Want me to change it to training?”

“A-haha! Next door—right next door, right? Okay! Hamgyeol, you little—what are you doing? Hurry up and move the luggage!”

The moment the word training left Won Iheun’s mouth, Sanghui went pale and dragged Hamgyeol out with him.

After the idiot duo left—

While playing a little finger-grabbing game with Jaehee, Yeongung scolded the man.

“If you blurt things out like that, of course you’ll scare them.”

“They’re grown adults. Big as bears. Don’t treat them like kids. The only kid we have is Jaehee.”

Grrrk.

A loud sound came from Yeongung’s stomach. He handed the child to Iheun and flopped flat onto the floor. Raising a child was physically exhausting. Checking the wall clock, it was already time to refuel. Yeongung sprang up and suggested eating out, his eyes sparkling.

“Seeing them just now made me crave something. Let’s eat out today.”

With an excited expression, he made a phone call.

In front of a seaside restaurant—old on the outside but neatly renovated inside—stood four adults and one child. The idiot duo’s eyes landed on the sign:

‘Madam Kim’s Aged Kimchi Samgyeopsal.’

Sanghui, pushing his bangs back with his sunglasses, checked out the food photos by the entrance.

“Hm. Meat tastes best by the sea. Damn, and aged-kimchi samgyeopsal? Hyung really knows his food.”

“Vice guild master, I’m so hungry right now I think I could chew on the table legs.”

At their resolute gazes, Yeongung flashed a black card between his fingers. Naturally, the card belonged to Won Iheun. So this is how it feels to show off with someone else’s money.

“Don’t worry about the cost. Order whatever you want, as much as you want.”

“Really?”

“For real?!”

“Yes. For real.”

The overjoyed idiot duo started dancing ganggangsullae right there in the parking lot.

“Were you starving in Seoul or something? Both of you look so gaunt.”

“Hah, don’t even get me started. After you disappeared, the guild master turned into a demon. For the past two years, do you know how hard we worked? He was already a demon, but he evolved into a great demon. Ugh. I don’t even want to remember.”

Sanghui finished what he wanted to say while still watching Iheun’s expression, then subtly shifted behind Yeongung. That vicious great demon never showed his true colors in front of Yeongung.

Just then, Madam Kim came out from inside the restaurant to greet them. To Madam Kim and her husband, Yeongung’s face appeared as “Youngjun”—a small after-service from Sayoung.

“Oh my, what are you doing just standing there? Come in! I’ve already par-grilled everything nice and tasty.”

The restaurant was run by Madam Kim, Yeongung’s neighbor. A third-generation establishment, it was a beloved local favorite on Muhaedo. Through the open door, Won Iheun spotted a cantankerous old man and frowned. He was Madam Kim’s husband—the same man who had once spoken harshly to Yeongung.

‘What, raising a kid is some kind of title now? Makes my heart ache.’

‘Tsk. Poor child, really. They only just had that little fluff—why’s he still that small?’

‘No one lives without circumstances. If you sow the seed, take responsibility. If you give birth, raise them properly.’

As Yeongung moved to enter, the man blocked him, shielding his view with his own body. He didn’t want Yeongung to run into the cranky old man again and recall what happened back then.

“Let’s leave.”

His voice was cold enough to freeze the surrounding air.

“I booked the entire dinner time so we could eat comfortably without worrying about other tables. Oh—and Won Iheun, you’re paying. You invited them without consulting me, so it’s only fair you cover the bill.”

Yeongung deliberately spoke in a brighter-than-usual tone, playfully tapping Iheun’s shoulder. Iheun looked at him, puzzled.

“You knew and still booked this place?”

“Of course. This is my regular spot with Minseong.”

“Why should we eat this kind of meat? From owners who don’t act their age—this place probably reeks of gamey smells.”

The idiot duo, unaware of the context, glanced back and forth between them.

“You guys go in first. Madam Kim will show you to your seats.”

Knowing of her husband’s past wrongdoing, Madam Kim carefully led the guests inside, watching Iheun’s reaction.

Only Yeongung and Won Iheun remained in the parking lot. In the meantime, the sleeping Jaehee had been taken along by Hamgyeol.

“Won Iheun. Are you really going to act like this and embarrass me?”

“They were the ones who spoke rudely first.”

There was not a shred of remorse in the man’s attitude. Yeongung calmly explained the past.

“Madam Kim has been incredibly good to me and Jaehee. She took care of me even when I was recovering alone after giving birth. Until I fully recovered, she came every day to make seaweed soup and set the table for me. At her age, she helped without ever complaining. So don’t be so cold to her.”

“Then I can thank Madam Kim separately.”

Clatter.

At that moment, the old man—who had been listening from inside—came out.

“Grandfather… that’s not what—”

“Enough.”

“Grandfather…”

“Everything you said is right.”

“…Pardon?”

With his hands clasped behind his back, the old man avoided Yeongung’s gaze.

“This old man was wrong. Must be nearing death, the way nothing but ugly words keep slipping out of this mouth.”

“…”

“The child’s beautiful, and I know full well the man raising him has a kind heart. Please forgive this senile old man for talking nonsense.”

The older one gets, the more they know—and the clearer their own standards become. But with that comes stronger prejudice and stubbornness. Yeongung knew how difficult it was, at that age, to change one’s thinking and apologize.

What the old man had said in the past had certainly hurt. But not anymore. The fear that once loomed large when he didn’t know the cause had vanished thanks to Dr. Richmond and his porter, Bertrand. Yeongung now knew why Jaehee’s growth had stalled—and he had a partner to face it with. Once he became stronger himself, many things began to change.

“Thank you for apologizing. I think Madam Kim will feel more at ease because of it.”

In truth, Yeongung was more worried about Madam Kim than himself. And then, Won Iheun—who had been silently watching—added a single remark.

 

• 강강술래 (ganggangsullae)

  → A traditional Korean circle dance, usually performed by women during festivals. Here it’s used humorously to show how over-the-top excited Sanghui and Hamgyeol are.